<p>so i seriously bombed my freshman year of college at a fantastic university. i know i can build my resume & test scores like none other but my gpa is very sad to look at. the catch is that early this summer, i was diagnosed with early onset diabetes and depression due to another endocrine syndrome and have recently begun massive treatment/medication for this.
my question is what i should i do about explaining this awful frosh year - should i even bother talking about the fact that i could barely stay alive this year or should i just plow onwards with aspirations of medical school, desperately grubbing for gpa points, taking this first year in stride?
do applications have a space for this kind of thing/do admin officers even care?</p>
<p>should i just plow onwards with aspirations of medical school</p>
<p>I think this is your best bet.</p>
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<p>Define “bombed.” A 3.5 GPA is not “bombed,” and some will argue that even 3.0 as a freshman is not a “bomb,” either.</p>
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<p>Sorry to hear this. Hope things work out for you.</p>
<p>Don’t “plow” through things, and don’t “grub.” You can do better than that. If I were you, I’d be thinking about the following:</p>
<p>1) Do you still want to go to medical school? You’ve seen a little of what it’s like to be really sick. Is medicine still your calling? If you still think it is, then go onwards.</p>
<p>2) How are you going to deal with the rest of college? Are you going to be able to continue on a normal 8-semester schedule for graduation, or do you have to take time off to recover? Will you be at your best for the next six semesters? If your academic schedule changes because of your condition, then that’s something to take into consideration.</p>
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<p>When you apply for medical school, your personal statement is where you should briefly address this issue.</p>
<p>thank you - encouragement does a lot for you here.
ummmm yeah the situation is pretty crappy but ive been on the medications for about a month now and im doing 10x better than ever. its going to take a lot of hard work but being seriously sick just made me want to give more to people in a clinical setting so… med school it is. </p>
<p>personal statements (i guess ill address my issue very briefly) but… are they more like creative narrative essay type things or an expository summary of my life type thing?</p>
<p>Hi Paro – I’d be curious to hear as much about your condition as you’re willing to share, either via PM or here on the boards. You are a little old for a diagnosis of Type I diabetes, although I suppose it’s not impossible. There’s also the MODY set of… anyway, like I said: I’m interested to hear as much as you feel comfortable sharing.</p>
<p>Of course, that might well be nothing! In which case I would completely understand.</p>
<p>that whole ‘health is wealth’ deal is so damn true.</p>